Main Story
- Legitimacy, Public International Law and Intractable Problems
- November 2021: African Law WeekIn November 2021, the Chair for African Legal Studies is hosting a conference on the Continuous Search for Coherence in Africa’s Plural Legal Systems. From November 17th-20th several coloqiums will be held as well as lectures. Everyone is kindly invited to join the conference and take part in exciting debates.
- Writing and Publishing as Early Career ResearchersCOMMENT Lea Mwambene 12 November 2021 The motivation to publish academic work, requires discipline to ensure that the final output remains the ultimate goal. An invisible tension that often rattles or torments doctoral candidates, is publishing from their doctoral research studies as early career researchers. It is also conversely true that to some, it is an exciting opportunity that they latch on with enthusiasm. Regardless of the position that a doctoral candidate find themselves regarding the publication process, the nature of their studies…
Politics
- Is Civil War Coming to Somalia?COMMENT René Brosius 28 April 2021 The conflict over elections in Somalia[1] , which has been ongoing since last summer, has reached the next stage of escalation. Internationally mediated talks between the government, whose term has constitutionally expired[2] and the National Salvation Council (NSC), consisting of the presidential candidates, the prime ministers of Jubbaland and…
- Somalia vs. Kenya – The maritime border disputeCOMMENT René Brosius 09 April 2021 Somalia and Kenya do not have a tension-free relationship. Many reasons for this lie in the conflict-ridden history. The border between the two countries is a disputed colonial legacy. Large ethnic Somali minorities still live on Kenya’s territory, especially in the so-called North Eastern Province. The majority of the…
- Encouraging Renewable Energy Deployment in Kenya – Analysing the Legal and PoliticalToolsANALYSIS Hannah Kadner 12 March 2021 Kenya 2030 – a mission (almost) accomplished. A mission designed to address the issue of insufficient energy supply in the East African country. Considering that Kenya is a so-called developing country (ranking 147th of 189 on the Human Development Index, in 2019) this aim of Kenya`s former president Mwai…
Human Rights
- Celebrating African Human Rights DayCOMMENT Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime, Lena Scheibinger, Isabelle Zundel 21 October 2021 As we celebrate African Human Rights Day today; we look back at one of the most innovative human rights documents in the world: the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Whilst the standards laid out in this document have led to a…
- Still Fighting for the Rights of all Women WorldwideCOMMENT Lena Scheibinger and Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime 15 October 2021 Regular readers of this blog will know that women’s rights was the focus of last month. Nevertheless, the fight for women’s rights continues. One month is not enough to encapsulate the importance, development and barriers regarding women”s rights, therefore, we want to feature this…
- Collective Human Rights in the Context of DecolonisationANALYSIS Prof. Dr. Bernd Kannowski 09 July 2021 What is decolonisation? By decolonisation we mean the processes of replacement that lead to the end of colonial rule, but above all the social, cultural, legal and economic developments that follow state independence. The process of decolonisation can be divided into five phases, with many considering the…
Elections
- Light and Shadow in Somalia – How Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a and the Elections are ConnectedANALYSIS René Brosius 12 November 2021 The latest news from Somalia could not be contradictory. On the one hand, the first democratic “one person, one vote” elections since 1969 took place in Puntland, the semi-autonomous state in north-eastern Somalia, on 25 October 2021; on the other hand, there was bloody fighting in central Somalia. Admittedly,…
- House of Cards in Villa SomaliaANALYSIS René Brosius 17 September 2021 In April 2021, after Somalia was on the brink of civil war, it seemed for a long time that the solution would be found in a tough (s)election process. The May 27, 2021 agreement and Prime Minister Roble’s timetable presented at the end of June stipulated that this process…
- Insights and Additional Information on the Socio-Legal Discourse around Anti-RacismIntersectionality as a Key Concept for the Protection Against Multiple Discrimination The concept of intersectionality takes into account the interpenetration of various identity categories like race, gender, class, sexuality and disability as well as the structural interlocking of multiple forms of oppression like racism, sexism, classism and heterosexism by using an analogy to traffic: “Discrimination,…
YOUNG PLASTICS
- Advocating Against Plastic Waste in MalawiMalawi faces significant challenges in dealing with rising levels of waste, despite producing less waste than wealthier nations. In 2019, Lilongwe, the capital city of the country was producing approximately 250 metric tonnes of waste per day and the commercial city of Blantyre was producing 300 tonnes of waste per day, respectively (Hastings M’bawa, 2019). …
- Legal Interventions of African Countries to Reduce Single-Use Plastics – Are the Laws Enough?COMMENT Isabelle Zundel 30 August 2021 The increase of tragic natural disasters in intensity and frequency is proof of the immense challenge climate change displays. One of many contributing factors to climate change is the pollution and destruction of the environment through single-use plastic waste (SUP). The impacts are manifold and range from threatening terrestrial…
- Tackling the Problem of Plastic Pollution in Malawi through the Environmental Management Act (2017)?ANALYSIS Lena Scheibinger 12 May 2021 Following some pioneering initiatives in the neighbouring East African Community,[i] the government of Malawi imposed a ban on thin plastic bags in March 2015.[ii] However, this progressive move of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining was overturned by the High Court after a number of plastic manufacturers…
